Another triple header has put me a tad behind schedule, but I just gotta say that this one was out, and I mean way out, of the park. I must humbly acknowledge that I had never heard of James T. Farrell and what continually burst from my lips while reading this magnificent saga was “genius”. Farrell’s work is quite extensive and I will certainly be meeting up with him again after I complete this 100 book journey.The Studs Lonigan trilogy is comprised of Young Lonigan (1932), The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan (1934) and Judgment Day (1935). The trilogy not only covers major events in US history, but also a range of social topics; syphilis and TB, class struggles and racism, prohibition and alcoholism, homosexuality and sexual repression.In the first novel, Farrell takes us to Chicago’s south side at the end of WWII where we meet the 15-year-old Studs Lonigan as he grapples with young manhood. The second novel follows up with Studs falling in with a group of hooligans who call a poolroom their second home and consume alcohol beyond excess. The trilogy concludes with Studs nearing 30, reflecting back on his life’s decisions, contemplating marriage and facing serious health issues while the Great Depression rears its ugly head.Studs Lonigan is a punk, the kind of kid most people would say should be kicked in the pants. He drinks, he curses, he bullies friends and foes and considers women either angels or whores, not allowing for anything in between. So how can such a character warrant the readers compassion? Simply said, he is everyman; he struggles with finding the right words in various relationships, he gloats when he perceives himself admirable, he envies others glory and questions every decision he makes, and then beats himself up for being such a mope. Studs is the man you’d love to slap, but realize an embrace would be his deliverance.The hardworking father of Studs, Patrick Lonigan, aka Paddy, is an easily liked character. Even as he utters one racial slur after another, you realize he is repeating words in a rote manner and is what he likely heard expressed by his own father. He believes if he works hard, supports his family and goes to church, all will be well even as the Depression closes in on him. He has buried his head in the sand and is in denial about the country’s state of affairs as well as the receding life of his eldest son.Weary Riley is the punk of punks and makes Studs look like a boy scout in comparison. He is boiling up with anger and wants to take on the world with his fists and is not ashamed to use them on men or women. As young boys, Studs and Weary go at it, with Studs the victor, but Studs believes Weary will get his comeuppance and he surely does, in a shameless way with resulting ruin.Quotes*:He puffed. It was nice sitting there. He would like to sit there, and watch it slowly get dark, because when it was just getting dark things were quiet and soft-like, and a fellow liked to sit in all the quiet and well, just sit, and let any old thoughts go through his mind; just sit and dream, and realize that life was a funny thing, but that he’d fought his way up to a station where there weren’t no real serious problems like poverty, and he sits there, and is comfortable and content and patient, because he knows that he has put this shoulder to the wheel, and he has been a good Catholic, and a good American, a good father, and a good husband.A bird cooed above them. He usually thought it was sissified to listen or pay attention to such things as birds singing; it was crazy, like being a guy who studied music, or read too many books, or wrote poems and painted pictures. But now he listened; it was nice; he told himself how nice it was.He had been sold out, and made the goat. Most of the other waiters had crawled back on heir knees, begging for their jobs at any salary, under any condition. Yellow scabs! They had betrayed him, betrayed the cause of the American working man. They had betrayed themselves. The rankling of defeat and disappointment grew upon him until her cursed, using the filthiest words he knew.He could see the lagoon, steely, dark, glittering here and there with the moon and stars. The World, the night, the park, spring that was going to come, it was all new. He felt as if he were discovering them for the first time in his life, as if the sense of budding things, of leaves coming out on the branches, the gradual warming and laziness in the air, the grass bursting green through the cold, hard, wintry earth, as if all these were inside of him.The car clattered over a small stone bridge, affording him momentary sight of a thing stream of steely-colored water. The engine emitted a piercing and desolate whistle that seemed to puncture the countryside with echoing loneliness, and he was reminded of how, as a young kid, he head heard train whistles at night, even ducking his head under the covers because of them.*In gathering up quotes I had marked while reading, I realized that on their own, they may not seem quite so profound, however, the voices that emitted their words delivered them in such a way that cannot be easily conveyed as mere quotes. Given that, I decided to note them here anyway.Since you can probably imagine my drooling over Mr. Farrell, it must then be understood that I’d be more than thrilled to meet him. For some reason, I don’t imagine he’d be thrilled talking with a dame, so I’d disguise myself as a man, maybe do some sparring and then get a little tight before we sat down to business, and I believe it would be a lengthy and fascinating discussion. Farrell had a keen talent for portraying the darkness found in all of us; pettiness, jealousy, doubt and fear. Its an ability that would sure be swell to have.My rating for The Studs Lonigan Triology is a 10 out of 10.
"Studs Lonigan" is an epic novel in the same vein as Dreiser's "An American Tragedy". It is unusual in that by merely reading the dust jacket and the Forward that Studs is going to die a young man. He is not an extraordinary person, but rather very ordinary, and perhaps typical of a certain class. Born and raised in an Irish neighborhood in Chicago Studs is steeped in racism, bigotry, and misogyny. His main goal in life is to be seen as the "tough" guy—the one that no one dares give any "crap" to. Building his reputation is a constant challenge as he frequently has to resort to a fist fight to maintain his position and stature. The other side of his persona is how he is perceived by women, and how other men see him with women. All women are considered ripe for "jazzing", and if he's not successful with them, they are "bitches". He is always looking for the one perfect girl—the one that will make other people admire him. Lucy Scanlan is the one that he cannot get out of his mind, even though she doesn't love him, and she rejects him. For many years he is haunted by an unknown young woman who sat next to him in Mass one Sunday. He goes through life fighting, drinking, smoking and jazzing. Early on we can form a pretty good idea about how he will die. And though his interests are narrow, his problems are complex. He is constantly running into barriers, problems, and challenges—overcome one of them, and there is another right behind it. The great downward slide starts with a disastrous New Years Party that lands him in the hospital, and it dovetails fairly close to the start of the Great Depression, which causes the lives of many to unravel. The book is considered "literary naturalism", and it is pretty raw in its language, themes, and actions. It's loaded with social commentary on blacks, Jews, communists, and bankers. Farrell does an excellent job of portraying the economic destruction of an American family living in a large unforgiving city.
Do You like book Studs Lonigan (2004)?
Studs Lonigan just lost a star, because, in rereading it, I found it rather flat. I still think it is a worthy--great, even--piece of American literature, but there is too much telling, not enough indistinctness. In reading Farrell's introduction, in which he states that his original intention was to portray youths without any spiritual grounding or true moral compass, I realize that the book is ahead of its time, as fiction that portrays dangerous, soulless youth plaguing American society is a sub genre of its own. So that's awesome.
—Pete
The basic question when reading a book of this stature is whether it’s worth the time, the effort and the attempt to absorb it. Many who might have read this trilogy will have different opinions, of course. I suspect some, the not so patient, will throw it at a corner and say how sorry and silly it is. But with patience, and an open mind it is possible to find the gold for what this book is. There were, of course, those portions that made me want to abandon it, but on the whole the book was just one hell of a good journey. The story, which in essence begins by describing the Young Lonigan, goes on to describe The Young manhood of Studs before it ends beautifully but tragically with the death of Studs in Judgment Day. Studs as a boy refuses to be defined by the social expectations that are a common thing among a Catholic upbringing, choosing not to go his parent’s way and become a priest. He also does not go to college, and this is a decision he comes to regret later when the country is hit by depression. His death is so deeply felt, and comes just when he is about to marry, and when the depression has hit the core. He leaves behind a pregnant Catherine, and a father who deeply regrets having to lose a son when he is just thinking of leaving business for him, which in essence has been lost during the depression.Goes to show how life can be, when we are young and full of dreams, not knowing what will happen to fuck them up or to just shape them into some sweet list of memories when we come to our day of death. But when it is all said and done, we have a part to play in what becomes of us, and Studs chose to fight around – be the local champ, and he chose to smoke and drink, and when the day came, he lay in bed wishing for what can never be done, a resumption of time, for the consequences of what one chose not to be faced!
—Moses Kilolo
Meh. Coming from Chicago(-ish), the setting and historical context of this book were interesting. And it was well written. But the main character, Studs, was kind of annoying. And self-centered. And mean. This may be an effective portrait of the slightly threatened, racist, misogynistic white American male in the first half of the 20th century, but, gosh darn it, do you know how many portraits of the slightly threatened, racist, misogynistic white American male in the first half of the 20th century there are? I'm a little burned out. I should probably stop reading them.Seriously, however, just as our beloved (or not so beloved) Studs begins to show that he has the cognitive and emotional capacity to be a well-developed, compassionate, responsible human being, instead of merely a sociopathic bully and wannabe date rapist, the book ends. It's all very discouraging and depressing. But maybe that's what the author was going for?I do have to give the editors props for using the word "Comprising" in the title. "Comprising" is an awesome word.
—Jennie
